The hawks in the Kremlin and their entire militant social media orbit want the wave of explosions that Ukraine has suffered in various cities to continue without respite until the surrender of Kyiv. Newly minted Chechen Colonel-General Ramzan Kadyrov addressed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on his Telegram channel: “We warn you, Zelensky, that Russia has not started yet, so stop complaining, better run before you arrive. Run, Zelensky, run without looking back to the West. Now I am 100% satisfied with the operation.”

For the first time in weeks, hawks like Kadyrov gloated over Kalibr missile strikes on civilians in various locations in Ukraine, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lvov, Ivano-Frankivsk and the capital Kyiv. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny spoke about at least 80 missiles, of which more than half were intercepted.

At least 11 people, six of them in the capital, were killed and dozens were injured. Many Ukrainians were left in the dark due to the lack of supplies. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, “all tasks have been completed.” And he referred to “military facilities, communications and energy facilities.”

In Kyiv, one of these places was the children’s park. Sevchenko, where you could see a large funnel. Alexandra Matviychuk, who just received the Nobel Peace Prize along with the Russian NGO Memorial and Belarusian Alex Byalyatsky, denounced the explosion in this park in a tweet.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba referred to Hryhoriy, a five-year-old boy who died in Kyiv, and wrote. “There is no time for sympathy and concern. We need weapons, air defenses and increased sanctions pressure to destroy the Russian terrorist state.”

Russian leader Vladimir Putin justified the bombings on that fateful day for Ukraine. “If attempts to commit terrorist attacks on our territory continue [en alusión a la explosión del puente de Kerch]Russia’s responses will be tough and on a scale corresponding to the level of threats against the Russian Federation,” he said. The Kremlin leader ignored international condemnation from the UN, the US and the EU. China once again called for de-escalation.

This weekend it became known that General Sorovikin, who has experience in Chechnya and Syria, will become the new Russian commander in Ukraine. In these two campaigns, he distinguished himself by facilitating attacks on the civilian population, including with the use of chemical weapons.

It remains to be hoped that this will not be a targeted action of retaliation, but rather a new system of warfare.

Alexander Kots, pro-Russian propagandist

In broad terms, hardliners are demanding that today’s attacks not be a one-time punitive operation, as Putin suggests. “Hopefully, this is not a targeted retaliatory action, but a new combat system. Through the bowels of the Ukrainian state. Until he loses the ability to function, ”pro-Russian propagandist Alexander Kots writes in his Kotsnews media. On Twitter, the military correspondent of the Komsomolskaya Pravda group reports on the events, and on his channel he expresses his point of view on how the so-called “special forces operation” is still developing in the Russian media.

Since September, the Kremlin knows only defeat. First there were offensive operations in the Kharkiv region, where the Ukrainians recaptured hundreds of cities and territory similar to Portugal, then they continued in Kherson, in the south. They are even expected to threaten the center, Melitopol, which will divide Russian-controlled territories in two. Putin woke up on Saturday, a day after his 70th birthday, to an explosion on the Kerch bridge linking Crimea with Russia. Pearl in the crown, symbol. And the red line is from what we saw this Monday.

After so many humiliations, the Kremlin responded by bombing cities across Ukraine and once again attempted to terrorize its citizens. This is what the furious want, and they flaunt it on social media. They are demanding that Russia advance towards Lvov, in the country’s far west, and dismantle the “terrorist state of Ukraine.” These are extermination calls that seem to be the work of a revived Goebbels.

“It is necessary to reach the western borders of the former Ukraine (USSR of the 1991 model). Without this, it is impossible to stop the war, it can only be paused, left to our children. And only after reaching the borders of the USSR in 1991 is it time to decide what to do next. Continue the fight against Absolute Evil or let Western sodomites burn like Sodom and Gomorrah in hell… Forward to Lvov!!! There is simply no other way… The terrorist state of Ukraine must be completely dismantled. Completely! ”, – notes the less relevant pro-Russian channel @otryadkovpaka, but which has become viral.

If the task is set to overload the energy system, cause a prolonged panic among the population, a drop in morale in the Armed Forces and victory, the actions must be repeated.

fish

The pro-Russian group Rybar, on its Telegram account, details the damage done to energy facilities across the country and emphasizes that the goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. “The attacks caused shock among the population of Ukraine. The failure of some key structures of the Ukrainian power grid caused an overload of the entire energy system of the country: nuclear power plants could not cope with the load … but the damage can still be repaired. If the purpose of the strike was to cause a short-term shock, then it worked.”

But Rybar also goes further and suggests how to proceed. “If the goal is to overload the power grid, cause prolonged panic among the population, a drop in the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and victory on the battlefield, then the actions must be repeated.” And he points out that it would be necessary to open the 750kV switches at the nuclear power plant and pay special attention to the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant, with a direct line to Poland.

This is in line with what Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most influential media voices capable of even criticizing the Kremlin, demanded on his Telegram channel on Saturday. “We have handed over the initiative and now we are only responding to their attacks and their threats,” he complained on Saturday after the explosion in Crimea and the summing up of the Ukrainian counter-offensive since early September. And he advised: “You must frustrate their plans, make unexpected attacks in unexpected places … Ukraine must plunge into darkness. Bridges, dams, roads, power plants and other infrastructure must be destroyed throughout the country. The administrative building should not remain either in Kyiv or Lvov.”

“Hold on and be strong”

In his first message after the first explosions in Kyiv, which lasted about five hours, President Zelensky called on the population to be strong and endure. “They want to destroy us. They are trying to wipe us off the face of the earth. Destroy our people who sleep at home in Zaporiye. Kill people who go to work in the Dnieper and Kyiv. Air raids do not stop throughout Ukraine. Rockets are falling. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. Please do not leave shelters. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s hang on and be strong.”

He broadcast a video condemning Russia’s indiscriminate attacks. He asked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to host the G-7 meeting, which is urgently meeting on Tuesday. Ukraine has demanded a flight ban from the start, which means they can get help in response to Russian bombing.

He won the solidarity and condemnation of his allies, the United States and the European Union. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “very shocked” by the explosions. “This is an unacceptable escalation of war as civilians always pay the highest price,” he said through a spokesman.

In Kyiv, everyone woke up in basements and in the subway, where they took refuge. So we were told by deputy Olga Sovhirya. “Like all Ukrainians, I’m in the basement now.” But without giving up.

What may seem terrifying and inevitable can be stopped with the right protection.”

nayatalya gumenyuk, “guardian”

AT Guardian, Ukrainian journalist Natalya Gumenyuk writes about her feelings from the first terrorist attack in the center of Kyiv. There have been no attacks on them since June. “Now we are afraid, but this is different from constant fear. Ukrainian rebellion is not synonymous with bravado. Most of all, the feeling you get sitting in your basement looking at an air raid alert map for five hours and 37 minutes is pragmatic. We are not thinking about big ideas, but about electricity and water supply, documents, daily rations and contingency plans… Of the more than 80 missiles fired today at Ukraine, at least half were shot down by Ukrainian air defense. What may seem intimidating and inevitable can be stopped with the right protection. This seems to be the only rational response to the irrational attack on our parks, universities and museums. We’re going to continue.”

Polina Lotoskaya, a student from Spain in Kyiv, admits that many already thought that the city would no longer be subjected to such heavy shelling. “This Monday, all my friends and relatives in Ukraine woke up again to the sound of explosions and airstrikes. At a time when people are going to work and students are studying at universities, Russia has launched its missiles not only at infrastructure, but also at buildings and playgrounds. My aunt and sister spent half a day in the basement. No one, except Ukrainians, can imagine what it’s like to get up, listen to the children play, and suddenly run to the basement. Everyone is safe, but I’m scared because there is no safe place in Ukraine.”

Subsequently, the Ukrainians continued their volunteer activities and fundraising. “They tell me they have raised enough money to buy more drones. And on the front line, our soldiers are reclaiming our territories. We are an indomitable people. And I’m proud of it,” Polina concludes.